Overflow
by Elanchana
Summary: Millie's just come back from her first semester at boarding school, and Christopher and the rest of Chrestomanci Castle are already hard at work on the next magical "adventure". Note: Currently on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Oh my Leroux, is Ela writing FANFICITON? (And not about Phantom either?) I decided to do this mostly just for the lulz, but also because I kind of wanted to write something with already established characters. This is one of those fanfics which takes place in between parts of canon. It's basically, for anyone who wants one, a fanon addition. The title and plotline are not completely set in stone yet, so excuse me if stuff seems vague. I don't own the Chrestomanci series. So, here we go!

NOTE: This is a reupload of the first chapter.

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Chapter 1

The black, shiny car came slowly up the front driveway of Chrestomanci Castle. Christopher Chant pressed his face against the window near the door, holding his breath excitedly. A chauffeur got out of the car and opened the back door, and a girl stepped out. Christopher couldn't wait any longer. He opened the door and ran outside toward her.

"Millie!" he shouted. Millie ran away from the car door, happy to see him as well. He grabbed her around the waist and hugged her. "You wouldn't believe how much I missed you! There was literally _nothing_ to do around here!"

"Oh, I believe," said Millie. "After all I read in your letters…" She swayed a little, trying to loosen Christopher's strong grip on her.

"You've got to tell me all about boarding school!" Christopher said, still excited. He took one of her hands and started to lead her inside. He heard a moan from the chauffeur behind them. Millie glanced backwards nervously. The trunk was open and it was filled with bags and suitcases that she had packed for her return home for the Christmas holidays. The chauffeur was obviously annoyed that he would have to carry all of them.

Christopher looked back and saw his problem. "Oh, don't worry about that, John," he said as he raised his hand and waved it toward the door. All the baggage flew out of the trunk and landed inside with a thump. Pleased with his work, Christopher started quickly walking back into the castle, holding Millie's hand, while the chauffeur shouted after him, "My name is Joseph!"

On the way back to the castle, Christopher started asking Millie anything he could think of. He asked about her teachers, her classmates, the rooms, the food, etcetera. He strung so many questions together that Millie had almost no time to answer any of them. He was in the middle of asking about the laundry service when they walked through the door and almost collided with Flavian Temple.

"You seem to have forgotten, Christopher, but you do have a magic lesson today," Flavian said, looking sternly at Christopher.

"But I want to talk to Millie!" Christopher protested.

"You can talk to her later, after she has rested and unpacked. She has had a long trip and must be quite tired out," said Flavian.

"I want to come along!" Millie piped up. "I haven't had a proper magic lesson in ages!"

Flavian sighed. "Oh, very well," he said, and started down the corridor. Millie and Christopher followed.

"Haven't you found a new teacher yet?" Millie asked Flavian.

"No," Flavian replied sadly. "Unfortunately, all of the people we've interviewed for the job either have no experience teaching or have magic that is too weak for our purposes. Gabriel sometimes gives Christopher the lessons, but he has been very busy lately, so I have had to take over again. It's very irritating to have to give magic lessons without any magic left."

While Millie and Flavian were talking, Christopher suddenly found he was hungry and conjured an apple from the kitchen.

They entered the small classroom in which Christopher usually took magic lessons with Flavian. Millie stood in the corner while Christopher stood facing Flavian, unwillingly ready to begin.

"So, when we left off, you were practicing Performative Speech, correct?" said Flavian.

"Yes," muttered Christopher.

At this, Millie's eyes widened. "What's that?" she asked.

"Performative Speech," Flavian answered, turning to face her, "is a way of saying things so that they happen. It is sort of like saying the outcome of a spell as the spell itself. Perhaps Christopher can demonstrate."

"Er…" said Christopher, caught unawares. He struggled to put himself in the right mindset and said the first thing that came into his head: "This apple is green."

The apple promptly turned from red to green.

"Can you teach me as well?" Millie said excitedly.

"I guess I could, though we would have to back up a bit so you can catch up to Christopher," said Flavian.

"I like red apples…" Christopher complained quietly.

"Then by all means, turn it back," Flavian said, showing no sympathy.

Christopher guiltily turned the apple red again and took a bite out of it. Millie rolled her eyes.

As Christopher watched, Flavian began to teach Millie the right way to go about doing Performative Speech. He had heard this lecture before, so he started to get bored. He sat on top of a table eating the apple as he saw Millie attempt this branch of magic for the first time, and she was much quicker to learn it than he was. She was so smart that it made him jealous, but then again it made her quite attractive…

Suddenly Mordecai Roberts burst into the room.

"What is it, Mordecai?" Flavian asked.

"Flavian! Christopher! We need you!" Mordecai said, panicking. "There's a problem in series five and Gabriel can't fix it this time!"


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So it's been almost a year now, and I finally have a damn plot for this story. Let's get this show on the road! – Oh, and yes, I am referencing a recent event.

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Chapter 2

When they reached the office, Christopher was face to face with a magic mirror displaying a hole in the ground. The rest of the mirror had turned dark blue, and there was something odd coming out of the hole. It seemed to be swirling upward.

"Er… it's a hole?" said Christopher with uncertainty.

"Wow, I had _no_ idea," said Millie, obviously sarcastic.

Mordecai sighed. "What you are looking at," he explained, "is a leak in the ocean floor of 5D. It looks like that particular spot has a considerably large oil reserve under it, and that's what you're seeing coming out of the ground. An oil leak like this is extremely harmful to ocean life, and anyone who profits from what is in the water."

"And in Five as well," Flavian added. Christopher knew what he meant: Every landmass in Series Five was no bigger than France. Everywhere touched water.

"Yes," Mordecai continued. "But the worst part is that, from what I could sense, the hole is getting bigger in every direction."

"So, wider and deeper?" asked Millie.

"More than that," replied Mordecai. "Wider is bad enough and deeper is even worse, but this hole is also attempting to widen into the space between worlds… which means that if we do not take action soon, worlds 5C and 5E are likely to have holes like this as well." He looked around at Christopher's and Millie's wide eyes and gaping mouths. "This is what made me a hundred percent certain that it was a magic user who did this. However, it seems to me like the penetration of other worlds may have been an accident."

"Now I don't know what to think anymore," Millie muttered.

"Why can't Gabriel do this one?" Christopher asked.

Flavian answered him. "Gabriel had some business to take care of in One with the Mages. After what your uncle picked up over there, we do owe them an official apology."

"So it's all up to me then?" Christopher said, getting excited.

"You'll need help," Millie told him.

"Yeah, I suppose," Christopher sighed.

"It would be an interesting experience, but good practice for when you start your term as Chrestomanci," added Flavian.

"And a good chance to try out that air spell you've been having me practice!" said Christopher.

"And if we happen to fail, I'm sure Gabriel would fix it in a few days," Mordecai said. "I had better come with you too. I know Five pretty well from my spirit traveling, although I have never actually been there in the flesh."

Christopher gave him a confused look, but then smiled and said, "So that's it! Let's get to 5D!" He ran out of the office and down the stairs of the entrance hall, then, with Mordecai's arm in one hand and Millie's hand in the other, stepped into the pentagram, flashed by the familiar and shapeless Place Between, and landed in another world.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: For anyone who guessed the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, good job. Got some awesome character introducing to do, bye!

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Chapter 3

They found themselves in a wide circle of somewhat tall buildings. The ground was made mostly of huge stone slabs, held together with black paste. There were various gaps in the buildings, presumably paths leading to other parts of the city. In the middle of the circle, there was a rather interestingly shaped fountain: A large bowl made of marble formed the bottom half of a sphere, while a wall of water coming from a tube in the middle formed the top half.

The air was warm and very humid. They were definitely near water.

"Well, oh _Chrestomanci_ sir," said Millie, sarcastic again, "where do you suggest we go from here?"

"Er…" Christopher had to confess to himself he didn't know a thing about the geography of this world.

"I won't be any help, unfortunately," Mordecai said. "I've told you my spirit can't see things clearly."

"Let's ask someone where the nearest path to the ocean is?" Christopher said uncertainly. "If I did this right, the leak should be somewhere close by."

"Who? There's no one outside, and there are no signs on the buildings," Millie noticed. Christopher looked around again. It was true. It must have been a heavy work day, because there were no people about. All the buildings looked similar. The only differences were the colored swirls that decorated the otherwise bland facades and, sometimes, the number of stories. He couldn't even tell which buildings were private houses and which were public services – if any.

"Let's just try a door," guessed Christopher. He strode across the jagged pavement to a door with orange swirls and an engraving that looked like a rounded bench. He tried the knob. It turned.

"Looks like you found a public building," said Mordecai. They all went through the door into a room with couches, a desk, two other doors, and a fountain, much smaller than the one outside, but the same shape. Christopher and Millie started relaxing on the couches, while Mordecai approached the desk and started talking to the tan-skinned, balding man working at it.

"Welcome to King's Inn. My name is Thompson. Will it be a room for three?" the man said distractedly.

"Not now, please, we're on a tight schedule. I have a couple of questions," Mordecai replied. "First, could you please tell me where we are exactly?"

"I just told you, King's Inn," was the response.

"Could I know a little more?" Mordecai asked patiently.

"King's Inn, Zephyr Circle, Zephyrton, Eastern Province, Galsha, the Abeitic Sea, the World. That good enough for you?" said Thompson.

"Very nicely put, thank you, Mr. Thompson," Mordecai said. Thompson grunted. "My next question," Mordecai continued, "is: What is the shortest route to the ocean from here?"

Thompson pulled out a map and drew on it with his pen. "That should get you there in ten minutes. Anything else?"

"Thank you, and yes, one more thing," said Mordecai, glancing over his shoulder at Millie and Christopher. "Who is Aquamarina Varuna?"

For once, Thompson seemed to stop what he was working on and smile up at Mordecai.

"She sings at the adjoining restaurant," he said. "And she's the best singer anyone has ever heard. She might be just as big an attraction in Zephyrton as the fountain count."

Millie turned to Christopher and muttered, "Aquamarina Varuna. What kind of name is that?" Christopher didn't answer. He turned around on the couch and saw, next to the door to the outside, a poster propped up against the wall. The poster had a number of colored lines and curves, artfully positioned to resemble a girl's face. Next to the picture were the words:

_King's Restaurant_

_Every night at 2030_

_Hear the magnificent Aquamarina Varuna_

There were also three of what seemed like the reviews from local newspapers and magazines:

"_Marina must be heard to be believed." –Galshan Messenger_

"_The best floorshow in the world." –Time of Day_

"_Imagine the most perfect performance of your favorite song ever, and Marina sings it better." –Toast of Zephyrton_

A hand appeared in front of Christopher's face, waving wildly. "Hey!" Millie said from next to him. "In case you forgot, we came to fix a giant hole in the ground."

Christopher blinked. "Oh. Yeah." He pushed Millie's hand away. "I'm fine. So… where did he say we should go?"

"In some sort of… curving zigzag," said Mordecai, showing them the map.

"First right, first left, first right, first left…" Christopher said as his eyes followed the path that Thompson drew. "That looks easy enough!"

"Slow down, Christopher! What exactly are we doing?" Millie asked.

"We're going to plug the leak!" Christopher answered her.

"What? We can't just go in like that! We need to–"

"Have you got a better idea?"

Millie said nothing.

"Then let's get on with it!" said Christopher excitedly. He ran out the door and down the first street on the way to the ocean.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Looks like a harbor to me," said Millie.

They all looked around at where they were led by the map. It was a piece of ocean jutting inward, with docks and boats all around. Some were very small, one-person boats with buckets attached, which Christopher guessed were used for fishing. He also guessed that they were normally in use at this time, but the fishers wanted to stay away from the oil leak. There were larger boats, with big signs with hyphenated names, all starting with "Galsha." Christopher remembered that that was one of the things the man at the inn said when he was giving the location, and assumed that it was the name of this island-country. The largest of the boats – ferries, Christopher realized – said "Galsha-Abeitia." He had read "Galsha-Urman," "Galsha-Old Torrico," and "Galsha-New Torrico" before a loud bell sounded.

Almost immediately, people began filing out of the buildings surrounding the harbor. They all had tan skin like the innkeeper – Christopher wondered if it had been from staying out in the sun for too long when they were not working.

"Very orderly people they are, here," Mordecai remarked.

"I see the hole," said Millie, nudging Christopher and pointing. Christopher hastily did a Don't-Notice spell on all three of them and looked into the water. There, sure enough, was a round, dark hole. It was about a hundred feet away from them.

"Follow me," Christopher said, and led them onto one of the docks. There, he cleared his mind, discovering while doing so that he had been thinking about that Aquamarina girl from the restaurant, and, with his arms raised, pushed some air from the atmosphere into the water.

A tunnel of air formed, leading down toward the leak.

Pleased with himself, Christopher continued with his commands. "On the count of three, let's jump into the water. I'll be maintaining the air spell, so be sure to keep your head inside the bubble. We'll try this magically and manually. One… two… three!"

_Splash!_ The water, though warm, was much colder than the air. There was an unpleasant, sticky feeling from the surface, which must have been the oil. Christopher pushed more air down into the sea, enclosing his, Millie's, and Mordecai's heads in a big bubble. Within fifteen minutes they reached the hole.

"Now push! Think hard about the hole closing!" was Christopher's next command. They all tried… but to no avail. Since Christopher was concentrating on letting them all breathe, he couldn't do nearly as much as he wanted. Next, he told everyone to get on the ocean floor and push sand into the hole. He didn't have to use any magic besides the air spell, but they made no progress in filling it in.

"Can we go back now?" asked Millie, out of breath from pushing.

Christopher sighed, but had to admit defeat. "We'll have to try this again. Let's get back to the dock." They swam back, Christopher still giving them air along the way.

He was surprised when a strong hand helped him out of the water. The hand belonged to a man with a kindly, wrinkled face and thick gray hair in a worn suit. He was short enough that Christopher was looking somewhat far down at him, but he looked like he had authority all the same. His skin was also the same European white as Christopher's, unlike the tan of the Galshan people he had seen. Christopher thought this must have been because he was from either another island-country or another world, and the familiar aura of 12A enchanter's magic around the man gave him the answer.

"I thought I heard someone say Chrestomanci!" said the man. "It's strange, even though I'm not supposed to respond to it anymore, I can still catch when someone says it. It doesn't happen that often in this world."

"Do you work for Gabriel deWitt then?" asked Christopher, panting on the dock, as he watched the 12A man help Millie and Mordecai out of the water as well.

"How I wish I did! I used to work for Benjamin Allworthy. Daniel Samford," he said, holding out his hand.

"Er, Christopher Chant," said Christopher, shaking Samford's hand.

"And how are you related to the title Chrestomanci, may I ask?" asked Samford.

"I'm the next one after Gabriel," said Christopher, half proudly, half wishing it was a lie.

"Oho! Nine-lifer, are you?" said Samford. "I'm sure you'll make a fine Chrestomanci. I hope your lives are in safe places."

Christopher didn't say anything to that. Instead, he asked, "How did you end up here?"

"I was one of the lookouts stationed in Series Five," Samford explained. "I'd like to think I was very good at my job, but then Gabriel deWitt took office and employed spirit travelers instead. Chrestomanci Castle must have forgotten about me. Since I got used to Zephyrton, I've been living here ever since."

"I'm one of those spirit travelers," Mordecai remarked.

Samford turned to him. "I thought you looked familiar," he said. "Tacroy, was it?"

"Mordecai Roberts, actually," said Mordecai.

"Ah. Then I must have only met you in spirit form," said Samford. He turned to Millie. "And you are?"

"My name is Millie," she said.

"A pleasure to meet you," said Samford, giving her a slight bow. "Just Millie?"

"I don't really have a last name. I'm from Series Ten," said Millie.

"I see." Samford nodded.

"How common is magic in this world, by the way?" Christopher asked.

"From what I know," responded Samford, "there are no _human_ magic users at all, at least not born in this world. There are, however, magic creatures that live in the ocean. Mermaids are by far the most common. There used to be a group around here, but no one has seen the Abeitic mermaids for quite a few months now." Christopher couldn't tell why this sounded particularly strange to him. "There are also water demons, but they mostly live in other seas. An occasional kappa may pop up around here, but that happens only once every few years."

"In other words, we need to keep the noticeable magic to a minimum?" Mordecai said.

"Precisely," Samford confirmed.

"Right," said Mordecai. "By the way, we're afraid of getting lost in this city. Can you take us back to Zephyr Circle, where we first came?"

"By 8:30?" Christopher blurted.

This earned him an interested look from Samford. "Going to hear Aquamarina Varuna at King's, are you?" Millie looked at Christopher as if to say, "_Really?_"

"Why not? We'll probably be staying for dinner," insisted Christopher.

"Oh, all right, you have a point," said Mordecai.

"It is worth the wait," said Samford. "She is phenomenal. If I had my way, I would hear her every night."

"Why don't you?" asked Christopher.

Samford sighed. "Personal reasons." He looked sad for a moment, but then smiled at them. "So, we are off back to Zephyr Circle and King's Restaurant. I highly recommend the salted rice buns. This way."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When they had come from Chrestomanci Castle, it was morning, but in Galsha it was beginning to get dark.

"You'll need to reset your watches," Samford said as they walked. "It's about 7:45."

"It's so warm here," Millie remarked. "It's winter back in England."

"Indeed," agreed Samford. "The Abeitic Sea is in the south, so summer is just beginning here."

"Can you tell us more about the Abeitic Sea?" asked Mordecai.

"Well…" Samford began. "There are six islands in the Abeitic area. Abeitia, to the east, is the biggest, followed by this one, Galsha. West of Galsha are Cyrania and Mesella. Cyrania, by the way, is where they grow the rice. East of Abeitia are Old and New Torrico, which are the smaller islands."

"All right," said Mordecai, nodding. "How about Galsha?"

"Galsha… It's rather bipolar. The biggest cities are the port cities, Zephyrton and Sharsing, on the east and west sides of the island. The towns get smaller and smaller as you move closer to the center of the island, and in the center are mostly factories and farms. Of course, saying 'big city' in 5D doesn't mean much. Very few cities here go beyond what we in 12A would call a town."

They reached Zephyr Circle. "You had better get to the restaurant if you want a good table," said Samford. "It's that low building with the red design."

Thanking Samford for his help, Christopher led Mordecai and Millie to the door of the restaurant and stepped inside.

"Table for three?" said the doorman.

"Yes, please," said Christopher. They were led to their table and given menus. It wasn't very different from the system in 12A – except the food was all different. He had no idea what to make of things like "green slapper platter" or "The Fish-head," even with the descriptions in the menu.

"Are you ready?" a waiter asked.

Christopher thought he would play it safe and take Samford's advice. "Salted rice buns, please."

"Spiced or unspiced?"

"Unspiced," guessed Christopher.

"You?" the waiter said to the other two.

"I'll have that too, please," said Mordecai.

"Same," said Millie.

"Three unspiced salted rice buns. Just water to drink?" asked the waiter.

They all nodded, shrugging.

"I must warn you that your food could take a half hour or longer," said the waiter. "This is our busiest time, and we always struggle to keep up. Enjoy." He walked back into what looked like the kitchen.

The time then passed in silence. They all glanced at each other occasionally and sipped their water. Millie seemed to be disappointed in Christopher, though he could not think why. She didn't say anything when he asked for a better idea, and Aquamarina Varuna was just a musical act he wanted to see, not a new love interest. He took to looking around again. It was mostly like a restaurant in 12A, but instead of knives and forks, people ate with sharp sticks like skewers. There was a stage in a corner of the room, with a few musicians playing various stringed instruments, and a hanging ball in the center of the stage, which looked like it was made to electrically amplify sound. There were also curtains in the back, through which, after what seemed like a day-long silence, Thompson stepped out. The room got as quiet as Christopher's table.

"My friends!" Thompson said through the microphone. "I would like to welcome you all this warm evening to King's Restaurant. I see we have a few foreigners here" – Christopher, Millie, and Mordecai all looked at each other – "so let's give them a warm welcome. And now, let's get to what you've all been waiting for. You've heard about her. You've read about her. Maybe you've even seen her. Here she is tonight: Aquamarina Varuna!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The first thing he noticed about her was her eyes. They were a shocking, sparkling light blue, clashing with her Galshan tan skin, and seemed to almost glow in the dark. She was tall and thin, though not as tall as Christopher. She was wearing a plain, floor-length purple dress, and her hair – if she had any, Christopher thought, taken aback – was completely wrapped in a matching purple scarf. But the strangest thing about her was the aura of magic that surrounded her. It was quite powerful, too – not powerful enough to make her an enchantress, but possibly a sorceress. After what Samford had told them about the scarcity of magic in 5D, Christopher couldn't help wondering if Aquamarina Varuna was not entirely from this world… or not entirely human.

Then she began to sing. Christopher had never heard such a beautiful voice in his life. It was as if all the perfection in the world were in her throat. She might have been using magic to sound so amazing, but at this point he didn't care. He just wanted to hear more.

She sang a slow song over the sounds of the strings from the musicians onstage.

_ Come back to me, life._

_ Come back to me, love._

_ For when you are close to my heart,_

_ A new day will start._

All around the restaurant, all eyes were on Aquamarina. A few younger men looked completely hypnotized by her. Some of the people watching were nodding their heads or mouthing the words, having seen her many times before.

_Come back to me, world._

_ Come back to me, hope._

_ For when I can feel you within,_

_ My life will begin._

Christopher just barely noticed that the waiter had brought them plates of doughy balls decorated with artful swirls of fine salt. He stabbed one with one of the skewer-like utensils, missing it a few times because his mind was still on Aquamarina, and took a bite out of it. It was surprisingly good, with a taste sort of like how the ocean smelled.

_I never felt love_

_ Until you were there,_

_ So please, make my heart free_

_ And come back to me._

At the end of this verse, Christopher noticed something very odd. Aquamarina's shocking blue eyes had been wandering around the room, examining the crowd, but now they were starting to linger on Christopher's face. Was she staring at him because he had the lightest skin in the room? That was a possible reason, but the way she looked at him did not look like a stare of curiosity or confusion, but rather a gaze of longing…

The song ended and the entire restaurant burst into a round of applause. Christopher clapped as hard as everyone else. He looked around to see Mordecai applauding politely and Millie clapping slowly and apprehensively. Millie's new bitter mood was still a mystery to Christopher. She might have thought Christopher only had eyes for Aquamarina, but that was absurd. As it was, he thought it best to leave her as she was and her mood would soon subside.

Aquamarina sang a few more songs, all beautifully and flawlessly, at least from what Christopher could tell. Every time, she received thunderous applause. No one was bored or disappointed. Everyone loved her. Everyone wanted more.

Finally, as another round of loud applause died down, Aquamarina spoke to the restaurant audience.

"Thank you for coming tonight," she said to the silent room. "Because we have some foreigners with us tonight, I want to end on a welcoming note with a song about our home." Yet another round of applause and some cheering slowly broke out across the room as the audience realized what this song was, although Christopher, not even being from this world, had no idea. Then she started making gestures with her hands, and Christopher realized that she was sneaking in a bit of magic. He felt it hit the napkin on his lap, which he curiously picked up, and saw, written on the back, a stanza of a poem called "Galsha, my Galsha".

The musicians played a strong introduction like the first few chords of a church hymn. Aquamarina started to sing the first verse of this Galshan patriotic song. It was definitely more interesting than "God Save the King", but Christopher got lost when she started talking about the various species of plants and animals and who-knows-what-else all over the island. Then, as the music picked up, she shouted, "Sing with me!" and the entire restaurant chimed in for the chorus.

_Where the breezes blow_

_ And the tall trees grow_

_ And the ocean roars with foam,_

_ I know the sea_

_ Flows just for me_

_ On Galsha, my Galsha, my home._

Of course, when the first chorus was over, Christopher knew exactly why Aquamarina had magically written these words on his napkin: She wanted him to sing along! He wasn't much of a singer, but he waited patiently for each repetition of the chorus, still marveling at her gorgeous voice each time, and sang enthusiastically with the rest of the audience, as if he belonged in this island-country himself.

Aquamarina finished singing, and Christopher's applause, after he wiped his napkin clean of any writing, was louder than anyone else's. He watched her bow several times and savor the cheers, still looking at him, and didn't even notice that Millie was hardly clapping at all.


	7. NOT A CHAPTER, JUST AN UPDATE

Hey readers. I noticed I've been getting quite a few reviews saying, basically, "when the HELL are you going to update". The truth is, for the past year and a half I've had a partial chapter written and an extremely severe case of writer's block. I'll try my very best to finish it soon and post it, but now at least you know I'm still alive.


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